President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency targeting Cuba, characterizing the island nation as an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” The declaration, made from the White House on January 29, 2026, initiates a new phase in the six-decade-long economic blockade against Cuba.
The executive order justifies the measures by alleging that Cuba maintains “sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities” that threaten U.S. security and maintains relationships with “hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign adversaries” of the United States. These claims directly contradict Cuba’s documented history of combating terrorism and drug trafficking in the region, including past cooperation with U.S. authorities.
Central to the new policy is the imposition of tariffs on imports from any country that “sells or supplies, directly or indirectly, oil to Cuba.” This measure specifically targets energy supplies to the island, which would have cascading effects across Cuba’s entire economy. The Trump administration frames these actions as fulfilling an “imperative duty to protect” the United States.
Cuban officials have denounced the measures as “economic genocide disguised as national security” and reject the characterization of Cuba as a security threat. They note that despite Cuba’s geographical position along major drug trafficking routes, the country maintains a zero-tolerance drug policy and has consistently cooperated in regional anti-drug efforts.
The executive order also accuses Cuba of human rights violations and regional destabilization, while Cuban authorities counter that the U.S. measures themselves constitute human rights violations by causing “human suffering and affecting the lives of millions of people.”
This escalation represents the latest chapter in the long-standing tensions between the two nations, with Cuban officials vowing continued resistance to what they characterize as imperial aggression and economic warfare.